Trump losing support from MAGA supporters: Joe Rogan on the Epstein files: “They’re trying to gaslight you on that”

Though President Donald Trump is trying to move past the Epstein scandal, his efforts have failed to convince many of the supporters who helped him defeat Kamala Harris last November.

Podcaster Joe Rogan, host of The Joe Rogan Experience, said on his July 25 episode with former CIA officer Mike Baker that Trump is attempting to “gaslight” his followers into believing that the Department of Justice never intended to release the Epstein files. Baker worked for the CIA in covert operations for 15 years and, since leaving, has made a career as a political commentator.

Rogan explained that he—and many other Trump voters—believed one of Trump’s campaign promises was to bring transparency to the Epstein case. Now, he says, the administration appears to be arguing that such a plan never existed, and that there’s no reason to release the more than 300 gigabytes of files related to Epstein’s crimes. “You have this one hardcore line in the sand that everybody had been talking about forever, and then they’re trying to gaslight you on that,” Rogan said.

“We thought Trump was going to come in and a lot of things were going to be resolved,” Rogan told Baker, adding that transparency around Epstein was part of the broader promise to “drain the swamp.”

Rogan is not alone. Comedians Andrew Schultz and Theo Von, who also supported Trump in the last election, have distanced themselves from the adminstration’s actions over their backtracking on Epstein.

When Trump began to back away from transparency on Epstein

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that back in May, Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly informed Trump that his name appears in the DOJ’s Epstein files, alongside other high-profile individuals. While the DOJ concluded there was no credible evidence of a so-called “client list,” the revelation has fueled speculation and distrust among Trump’s base.

Trump has attempted to downplay the scandal, calling it a hoax orchestrated by Democrats. But public interest remains high, especially as new details emerge about his past ties to Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Trump’s DOJ and Ghislaine Maxwell

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—confirmed to the role on March 5, 2025—met with Ghislaine Maxwell on July 24 and 25 at a federal courthouse in Tallahassee. Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, was granted limited “proffer” immunity, which means that criminal charges might not be brought forward based on credible information she provides, even if she was involved in criminal activity.

According to her attorney, Maxwell answered questions about “maybe 100 different people” and “didn’t hold anything back.” However, the lack of transparency around the meetings—and Blanche’s close ties to Trump—have raised concerns about how the information might be used.

Adding to the controversy, the New York Times reports that Maxwell has now offered to testify before Congress—but only if she is granted full immunity or clemency. In the letter to Congress, Maxwell’s lawyer David O. Marklus, wrote that his client had previously said she was unintersted in testifying and that if supeaned would have invoked her Fifth Amendment right, but added that upon “further reflection, we would like to find a way to cooperate with Congress if a fair and safe path forward can be established.” The NYTs says that the letter outlines immunity or clemency as a necessary precondition to her willingness to testify publicly.

The public might need to wait until September.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home early for the August recess, effectively to block a vote that would have forced the administration to release the Epstein files. Johnson said Congress should give the White House space to act on its own, but critics argue the move was a political favor aimed at defusing pressure from within the GOP.

The Epstein controversy has fractured parts of Trump’s base, with some MAGA-aligned figures openly questioning the administration’s credibility. As the summer recess begins, the White House is hoping public attention shifts elsewhere—but many believe the issue isn’t going away anytime soon.

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